The 2018 Leavenworth Oktoberfest celebration kicks off this Friday. Festival Marketing Coordinator Amy Gustin says the event is about camaraderie and that they want to make it memorable.

"We just had a TV station from Munich do an interview with one of our Project Bayern members and they say that our Oktoberfest probably has some more authentic versions to it than theirs have had over the last few years."

The procession and keg tapping that take place each Saturday of the festival honors the history of Oktoberfest which is about celebration and marriage.

Gustin says the festival also really makes a big impact on their local economy.

"And it's not just the hotels, and the restaurants and the shops. It's also how many people we employ that are local for those six days. A lot of people already have full-time jobs and they'll take on Oktoberfest for maybe some Christmas money. For some of the younger residents up there, it's their first to actually have a job."

The festival is for the first three weekends in October and everyone can expect heavy traffic and police presence.

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